ArticleBMC family practice2008
Measuring the financial burden of acute cough in pre-school children: a cost of illness study.
Article in BMC family practice, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- Implications of Antibiotic Resistance for Patients' Recovery From Common Infections in the Community: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2017Pooled it
- Oral Astragalus (Huang qi) for preventing frequent episodes of acute respiratory tract infection in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- How communication affects prescription decisions in consultations for acute illness in children: a systematic review and meta-ethnography.BMC family practice · 2014Pooled it
- Reducing antibiotic prescribing for children with respiratory tract infections in primary care: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2013Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of vitamin D supplementation on acute respiratory tract infections in 6-8-year-old children: a randomized clinical trial.European journal of nutrition · 2025Trial
- A multifaceted intervention to reduce antibiotic prescribing among CHIldren with acute COugh and respiratory tract infection: the CHICO cluster RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Trial
- Antibiotics for lower respiratory tract infection in children presenting in primary care in England (ARTIC PC): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Reducing Primary Care Attendance Intentions for Pediatric Respiratory Tract Infections.Annals of family medicine · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Fermented Milk Consumption and Common Infections in Children Attending Day-Care Centers: A Randomized Trial.Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition · 2016Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Probiotics and vitamin C for the prevention of respiratory tract infections in children attending preschool: a randomised controlled pilot study.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2015Trial
- Effect of using an interactive booklet about childhood respiratory tract infections in primary care consultations on reconsulting and antibiotic prescribing: a cluster randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2009Trial
- Paracetamol plus ibuprofen for the treatment of fever in children (PITCH): economic evaluation of a randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2008Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf Dry Extract EA 575 in Cough Management: An Updated Review of Clinical Evidence.Planta medica · 2026Review
- Incidence, antimicrobial prescribing practice, and associated healthcare costs of paediatric otorrhoea in primary care in the UK: a longitudinal population study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Development and maintenance of consensus recommendations on pediatric outpatient antibiotic therapy in Germany: a framework for rational use.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCONTEXT: Acute cough is a very common symptom presentation among children in primary care and is usually due to respiratory infection, yet its cost is unknown. An estimate of the cost to healthcare providers and parents would aid budgetary decision-making, and provide an insight into the need for interventions to reduce the burden. PURPOSE: To estimate the cost per child per episode, and the annual population cost in the UK, of acute cough in pre-school children presenting to primary care.
methods
designIncidence and prevalence-based cost-of-illness study from the perspectives of the UK NHS and of parents and caregivers.
setting11 general practices in Bristol, UK. SUBJECTS: 121 children without known asthma aged 3 to 59 months presenting for the first time with an acute (</= 28 days) cough.
resultsMean cost per episode to the NHS: pound27.43 (95% CI: pound24.38 - pound30.49). Mean cost per episode to parents and carers: pound14.77 ( pound4.90 - pound24.65). Annual cost to the NHS in the UK: at least pound31.5 m (95% CI: pound28.0 m - pound35.0 m).
conclusionThe cost burden on the healthcare provider of acute cough in pre-school children is substantial; the majority of this cost arises from consultations with general practitioners. Parents experience some personal cost through travel and expenditure on over-the-counter preparations, and may suffer significantly if loss of earnings is experienced. There is scope for evaluating interventions designed to reduce this burden.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.